Reversal
by sunnykong1210
Summary: Yukiteru is Yukiyori, and Yuno is Yuto. Snippets of each episode to show how much a gender switch really does make a difference.
1. Episode 1

**Reversal**

**SUMMARY:** Yukiteru is Yukiyori, and Yuno is Yuto. Snippets of each episode to show how much a gender switch really does make a difference.

* * *

**Chapter 1:** Episode 1

* * *

As she pumped her legs harder to quicken her dash, Yuki remembered the last few days before things had escalated to this.

She remembered giving a little hop in her walk on her way home. Everything was going so well, and it was all thanks to the magic that Deus had spun into her phone. It was bewildering, initially, as to how accurate these diary predictions turned out to be, not to mention that her supposedly imaginary friend was actually, well, a god. But that doesn't matter because, given the recent events, she would have to say a personal thank you to Deus.

On the last few impromptu quizzes, Yuki was able to ace through all of them because she possessed the answers in her hand! In fact, she scored a perfect 500/500 on her grades, bumping down Gasai Yuto to second place. She supposed that she ought to feel guilty for cheating while Gasai and those who do well academically worked hard to earn their place at the top, but any remorse was replaced with relief when she was able to reach the shoe-lockers in time before a couple particularly jealous girls would do something petty like fill her shoes with tacks.

She remembered grinning and flipping open her phone, reading whatever future entries that lay waiting for her so that she may continue her luck.

That was what it was supposed to be all about. Luck.

Yuki wasn't sure where to go as she ran and ran and ran. She half-considered heading home and locking herself up in her bedroom and being swathed protectively in a blanket, but, in her blind running, she happened to take a detour that had her further away from her neighborhood. There was no way that she could muster enough energy to take herself there.

Eventually, her burning feet carried her inside a building under construction. Yuki nearly crashed against the elevator and felt her anxieties slip away just a bit when the doors parted. Entering inside, she haphazardly threw her messenger bag to the side and pressed a finger against a random button—the fourteenth floor. She wasn't sure what was going on, but she wasn't safe out there, not with _him_ chasing after her.

Just when matters couldn't get any worse, something stopped the doors from fully closing. Yuki gasped and whirled around, finding Gasai stepping into the elevator car.

No way, Yuki thought, taking a step and her back hitting against the wall. She was trapped. Was she going to die here? She probably was going to die. Tears were prickling at the rims of her eyes, and beads of nervous sweat accumulated on her forehead. She almost gave in to the idea ducking and bolting around him; however, fear struck her still. Panic swelled inside her at Gasai's purposeful stride towards her.

"Don't you see, Yuki?" Gasai's jovial voice rang, breaking her hysteria that had burst out deafeningly inside her head. For a moment, there seemed to be a quiet pause, which Yuki pounced on the opportunity to refill her lungs with air. She didn't realize that she was holding in her breath. "Lift your head. Look."

She did, and she felt cold all over. Brought seemingly innocently up to the boy's face was a phone. His phone. Could it be…? Another diary owner…?

When the doors finally closed and the car was being hoisted to the designated floor, Yuki wasn't sure what to do, but it was then that she found her fingers work their way into her pouch that hung around her waist. Of course! Her darts! She didn't like the idea of executing violence, but she was alone in a closed space with a very strange boy—she would have to take measures in order to defend herself.

"You won't stab me."

Yuki froze.

There were hands that slammed against the wall between her head. It occurred in a flash, so what Yuki caught was only a glimpse of Gasai's face descending, his eyes closed. The rest was all feeling. She felt the boy's lips hot against hers, moving against hers. Of all things that could have taken place, this was what happened. Her mind fully blanked out, and that seemed to stretch out time for her. And, then, he finally pulled back _slowly_, leaving a wet and tingling sensation on her mouth.

"You won't stab me," he murmured, watching her with hooded eyes. "That's the future."

"Th-the future…?" Yuki choked out. What just happened? Did he, Gasai Yuto, just _kiss_ her? And what's this gibberish that he's spouting out now? She couldn't focus all at once.

Gasai favored her with a smile—a genuine, happy smile—before stepping back and letting his arms fall back to his sides. "You've got the wrong idea, Yuki."

Yuki this, Yuki that. Why was he addressing her so familiarly?

Suddenly, his eyes narrowed and snapped at the transparent casing outside. Standing below the rising car and painted in the orange hues of sunset was a man garbed in a dark trench coat, matching pants, and a hat. Oddly enough, he wore what looked like a gas mask with goggles attached, and wielded by one of his gloved hands was a blade. It wasn't just his appearance that sent Yuki immediate unease; though his eyes were hidden behind the reflective glass of his goggles, his face was tilted upwards in a way that he was staring at the car—no, staring at _them_, which was entirely eerie.

"He's here," Gasai murmured.

"Who is he?" Yuki asked.

"The serial killer from the news. The third diary owner."

She blinked, feeling quite lost. "Third?"

"He had plans to kill you," he said, returning his gaze back to her face, "by looking at your future."

"Eh?"

Gasai brought up his phone again and flipped it open. "This is my future diary," he said. "18:20. Yuki dies on the fourteenth floor of the building."

On the small glowing screen, Yuki couldn't believe what the content was about—but it was there, all of it. She blinked rapidly, as if to somehow flutter awake from this nightmare; unfortunately, the feeling of horrification was so very real. This was no nightmare. "Th-those entries are all about m-me…" she whispered. "B-but… How…"

"My diary is the Yukiyori diary." Gasai flashed her a smile. Were the circumstances different, she would have seen it as boyish and cute. Instead, it sent her shaking in trepidation. "It catches your future in ten minute intervals." And then he had to add, "It's a diary of love."

From what Yuki knew, her diary's predictions could only come out at inconsistent time periods; it seemed to be structured rather similarly to how she would type her own entries before Deus did something to her phone. Yet how could Gasai be in possession of a diary that could conjure an augury exactly every ten minutes? And why her? Things were starting to become stranger. So, if Deus's powers were able to transform her randomly updated diary into a randomly updated predictor, then that must mean…

For who knows how long, Gasai had been writing about her for every ten minutes?

Yuki swallowed thickly. There seemed to be a shortcoming on both sides: death by a wanted criminal or death by her crazy stalker. Her image of the handsome and intelligent boy of her homeroom class was completely and utterly destroyed. She first thought that it was peculiar how he was in some way involved in all of this as she was running away from him, but this was just insane. Not to mention how knowledgeable he was regarding the current situation: the "third diary owner," knowing that there was a serial killer after her, and…and it was him who placed that miniature clay replica of Murmur on her desk, wasn't that right?

"In a sense, your future rests in my hands," Gasai said. The car slowed to a stop, and, just when the doors opened, his backside momentarily engulfed by the sun's dimming rays that flooded the fourteenth floor, Gasai pushed the last button—the seventeenth floor—without having his eyes leave her face.

"W-wait, what are you—"

"Like I said," he cut in, once again invading her persona space and presenting his phone in her face, "you'll die if you get off the fourteenth floor. If you do, you'd be the first to be dropped out of the survival game."

"Survival game?" she murmured.

"Those who possess a special diary like yours and mine are after each others' lives. Like that man who's after yours."

Yuki listened to his explanation in confusion and a bit of disbelief. Just what was he going on about? A game? Now that she thought about it, Deus mentioned about her phone being the tantamount to her existence, albeit she failed to affiliate that piece of information to this game that Gasai mentioned. And why would the other owners try to kill one another? Was this Deus's doing?

"Yuki, you used your diary carelessly," the boy in front of her remarked lightly. "You must have left a trail, which was how the killer was able to track you down."

That's right… She had a mass murder out to get her. And here she was, getting worked up over Gasai who apparently didn't harbor any ill-intent towards her. Rather, his small actions and words seemed to convey his interest in _saving_ her, which didn't make sense because, according to his explanation, wouldn't he want to have her dead since he was a diary owner as well?

She must have worn her distress openly because she found her head tilted upwards by a gentle grasp on her chin.

"No need to fear, Yuki. From here on out, I'll be your knight in shining armor, always coming to your rescue."

* * *

No, no, no. How could this possibly happen?

"The meeting is adjourned," Deus's voice thundered calmly. With that announcement, the god faded amongst the wisps of clouds in the backdrop and the convention returned to the purple dome that was—_not anymore, not after what happened_—her refuge that she retreated to everyday after school.

Yuki collapsed to her knees. She was lost in a sea of despair, fear, and loneliness. It was as though the world was turned against her. She didn't want to die, but she was powerless…

"Don't worry, Yuki."

She froze. Slowly and reluctantly, she looked over her shoulder and saw Gasai standing behind her.

"Didn't I tell you before? I'll be your knight in shining armor." His eyes were lost in a deep haze, yet they concentrated solely on her form. "Always."

* * *

**NOTES:** Rewriting the entire series? No, thank you. I've decided to focus on parts of each episode that I think could place emphasis on girl!Yuki and boy!Yuno's circumstances regarding their gender. Yukiyori is the reserved wallflower and Yuto is her good-looking yet creepy stalker. Despite being a shut-in, Yuki is essentially a normal fourteen-year-old girl, so being thrust into a world full of danger would, of course, dissolve her into the perfect damsel-in-distress for Yuto to happily sweep her off her feet (that is, if she's not too scared of him to do so). I don't think it would make sense for Yuki to turn out to be a heroine who'll brave through any difficult situation without bawling in panic or needing Yuto to save her, but her building up courage will come gradually (you know, character growth). As for Yuto, all he wants is to be Yuki's suave and cool knight (and marry her and have her bear his children and live a happy ending), but, because he's so crazy, he would often slip and behave far from suave or cool. Him being cheerfully nonchalant and saying that knight-in-shining-armor line when he and Yuki were in the elevator? That was him executing his sheer "awesomeness" while hoping that Yuki would be impressed (but he was oblivious to the fact that she already discerned that he was friggin insane). Him gazing at her with deluded adoration at the end scene, obviously creeping her out? Yeah, Yuki will never be impressed.

**SCIENTIFIC FACT:** Men have more gray matter whereas women have more white matter in their brains. Gray matter represents information processing centers, and white matter works to network these processing centers. I tried to research the process of how the gray and white matters affect one's thought process, but only came up with something biological than mental. I've kind of came up with the conclusion that men are quicker to receive the information but will have to go back to reflect while women would need to connect the dots. Henceforth, Yuki would appear more apprehensive because she would lack that burst of recklessness her male counterpart would, from time to time, act on. Yuto and Yuno… Well, I don't see what changes I can make there… Perhaps Yuto would be more prone to violence.


	2. Episode 2

**Reversal**

**SUMMARY:** Yukiteru is Yukiyori, and Yuno is Yuto. Snippets of each episode to show how much a gender switch really does make a difference.

* * *

**Chapter 2:** Episode 2

* * *

They had a substitute teacher today. The man upfront was starting lessons…or was explaining Hiyama-sensei's reason for his absence. Yuki didn't know; she wasn't listening; every word that the teacher drawled, every screechy scrape the chair-legs made against the floor, and every yawn the students produced were just simply white noise for her troubled state. After what happened the other day, her mind refused to think straight and has been running all night along. It especially didn't help when Gasai bombarded her inbox with text messages, thoroughly frightening her. Just how did he get his hands on her number? She never gave it to him…or to anyone, for that matter.

Yuki was tired—so very tired. She didn't sleep at all last night. Apart from knowing that the serial killer—the third diary owner—wouldn't be the last person to try to have her dead and receiving a plethora of (creepy) messages from her stalker, she attempted to reconnect herself to the Cathedral of Casualty for hours in hope (and desperation) that she could change Deus's mind about the game, yet, despite her endeavors, she couldn't get in; it was as though something was blocking her entrance.

She slumped in her seat, her exhaustion taking a tighter reign on her. Why did she bother going to school? What was the point if she was going to end up dead? Not to mention how she could do without the girls in her class giggling behind her back (yes, the bags under her eyes were something horrendous, so what?). Maybe she should go home—go home and curl into her bed.

It wasn't like she could consult someone about it either: anything about the survival game, about the dangers, about Deus literally pushing the other twelve contestants to kill her when he outright said that she was the favorite. Seriously, Deus? She thought that they were friends…

Wait, not all twelve… Didn't Gasai say something about protecting her? And that other guy, one of the shadowed figures that stood amongst the rest, said something similar as well before disappearing when Deus adjourned the meeting. A tall and broad-shouldered person. "Don't worry, I'll protect you," was what he said. Yuki was undergoing a turbulent of feelings—apprehension, anguish, horror, panic—so she couldn't register whether he was actually mocking her or not. She hoped dearly that it would be the later.

Yuki flickered her eyes upwards from her desk, and the first thing they landed on was none other than Gasai. Knight in shining armor, huh? She didn't want to talk to him, not even come near him, but she needed to speak to him. She needed to know what his intentions behind protecting her were. A guy couldn't just throw down his life without expecting compensation, right?

So, when the bell rang, Yuki immediately got up and quietly strode to Gasai's side. "G-Gasai-kun," she forced out, pushing back her nervousness before it could take her, "would it be alright if…if I had a minute with you?"

He shot her an apologetic smile. "Sorry, Amano-san, but we have PE, don't we? I'll make time for you later, and then we'll talk." With that said, he exited the classroom.

Now, it was just her alone in the classroom. After standing around for a moment or two, Yuki gave a resigned sigh. Just what was she thinking? Going up to Gasai? She wasn't sure what she wanted from him anymore. (She thought that he would be ecstatic by her confrontation given the number of messages he had sent to her. Kind of a disappointment.)The girl was starting to reconsider her choice when someone knocked on the door.

"Excuse me, may you help me?" Turning around, Yuki found a rather beautiful woman standing by the doorway. Strangely, she was garbed in a theater gown and her hair was done in an elaborate way. Perhaps she came from a drama production? "How do I get to the teachers' room? I want to find out about Hiyama-sensei."

"Okay," Yuki said hesitatingly. Who was this person? She wanted to know the whereabouts of the aforementioned man? She was probably his girlfriend or something, but Yuki wasn't quite sure. Hiyama-sensei never disclosed anything about himself to the class; he was a very private man, after all, but it was apparent that he wasn't married. For one thing, he didn't wear a ring, and, for another, he didn't act like he had a wife waiting for him at home.

"He's your homeroom teacher, isn't he?" the woman commented. Unexpectedly, she threw out, "My sources tell me that he's the street killer."

Yuki, startled, reared her head back and released a slight gasp. Just what did she say?

"By the way," she continued on, casually waltzing inside the classroom, "I heard that your grades were suddenly improving. It's as if you turned into a whole new person." She smirked. "Oh, and you know how Hiyama-sensei is absent today? He was killed. The street killer, that is."

Didn't this lady wanted to know how to get to the teachers' room? And why was she jumping from one topic to another? Yuki warily watched the woman approached her. How did she know about her grades? And what was she going on about Hiyama-sensei being the street killer? The memory of the masked man forced its way to replay when she briefly considered her teacher. Now that she thought about it, Hiyama-sensei and the murderer's body structure and height were uncannily the identical, and they both had long hair; needless to say, the timing of the third diary owner's disappearance matched with the teacher's own.

Cold awareness shook her nerves. The girl bit down her lower lip to prevent from grimacing openly; she couldn't afford to display her emotions, not when this woman was possibly a diary owner…

For a second, Yuki thought that she was perhaps being too paranoid. For all she knew, this woman could be affiliated with the police (in that case, why was she dressed like _that_?). For the next second, Yuki's speculation was consolidated when she heard, "His Future Diary was the Murder Diary."

Of course. Who else would know about the diaries?

"He cornered First, but the tables were turned and ended up getting killed instead," the woman chuckled, probably finding wry amusement in the ironic shift of one who clearly possessed the advantage could be brought down so low by the weak. Yuki unconsciously stepped backwards as the person before her drew nearer and nearer. "That's right, Hiyama Takao was Third."

Yuki's lips trembled. The next thing she knew, she had erupted into wails. Tears streaked down her now flushed cheeks, and her throat felt constricted and thick. She tried to muffle her cries, she really did, but fear seized her more violently than it had when she confronted the Third. Perhaps it was because she was vaguely comforted by Gasai's presence and his oath at the time; however, here she was, alone with this woman who was likely to send her to her demise.

The woman obviously wasn't expecting such a reaction when she reared her head back, her widened eyes and surprised jerk all portrayed promptly at the first sob that broke out. "H-hey, why are you crying?" she demanded, now adopting a frown. "Stop that!"

The girl wished she could, but she just couldn't.

"Geez, are you serious?" the woman groaned aloud, smoothing her fingers across the headpiece that sat on her head. "I figured that First was a weakling, but a crybaby? Well, I guess it just makes my job easier if there's no resistance."

Hearing that just made Yuki cry harder, which elicited a grouse from the other diary owner.

Through bleary eyes, Yuki didn't take notice of anyone entering the classroom until a figure rushed in towards the woman. "Yuki!" she heard Gasai exclaim. He swung both arms into a fast descent and aimed the fire hydrant in his hands at her. However, the woman leapt away in time, knocking down chairs and desks in the process. Gasai took a defensive stance in front of Yuki, and, stunned by the sudden course of events, she finally calmed down to watery hiccups.

"Whether you're First or not, I'll take you down either way." The woman pushed open the window behind her and gracefully hopped onto the sill. She favored them a dark smile. "Know this: I'm the ninth diary owner, Uryuu Minene! I won't go down like Third."

The moment lasted ephemerally: Yuki watched, even with Gasai's firm grasp leading her out of the room, the woman dived from the building. And then followed the explosion.

* * *

She must have sobbed loud enough for her to not hear the strange distorted sound that her phone made whenever she received an entry. Dead End, was what her phone read. Once the hours, minutes, seconds were gone, Yuki would be dead. She tried not to think about it, but it was too hard not to. Even Gasai's—no, even _Yuto's_ reassurances and soft smile couldn't settle her craven spirit.

Yuki tried to muffle her returning bouts of tearful whimpers; she wasn't successful. So far, both Yuki and Yuto had evaded Ninth's explosions thanks to the combined forces of their diary predictions. She still had reservations about teaming up with Yuto, but what else could she do? Despite how she hated using the boy like this, she desperately didn't want to reach death's door so soon.

Yuto helped her down a large hole that was formed in the middle of one of the classrooms. There was a smell of smoke and something sour—gasoline? There were piles of rubble everywhere, and everything was in ruins. Sadness tinged her heart when she saw a chalkboard snapped in half, and she dejectedly wondered if the prior blasts managed to wipe out the teachers and students of this wing of the building.

"What's next, Yuki?" Yuto asked, not yet (or was he ever?) relinquishing his hold on her arm.

Yuki took a look on the screen of her phone to see any updates, but, just as she was, another burst of conflagration proceeded right behind them. Yuto's hand released her arm and then snaked around her waist, holding her tightly to his chest as they sailed across the floor. The two landed with a thud, Yuki bearing little impact as she was on top of Yuto.

"Y-Yuto!" Yuki pulled away and quickly helped him up. "A-are you okay?" she asked concernedly.

"Don't worry about me," he said, returning her stare through a veil of dust. "You have to see what happens to you in addition to the explosions."

"I…" She glanced back at her phone, but the boy's words distracted her. What would happen to her… These entries weren't about her, but the things that occurred around her. She knew that. She knew that the predictions reflected on the diary entries she once recorded. Random predictions, random entries… Only predicting what happened around her. Regardless, this pained her because, for just being a bystander, she was dragged into a mess like this. And, not only that, because _it wasn't about her_.

"Yuki? What's wrong?"

Yuki blinked a couple times, teardrops falling off of her eyelashes. "I… I can't tell what will happen to me," she stammered. "Nothing in this Future Diary is about me."

Yuto didn't say anything. He took a glance at his own phone, and his face contorted into that of shock.

"Yuki!" Yuto threw down his body over hers, encasing her protectively. There was another explosion, one that they narrowly missed. The floor beneath her trembled, and dust flew above their heads. Then, there was a crack.

"Aaah!" Yuki screamed, frantically gripping onto Yuto's shoulders. The floor had given out due to their weight, which resulted with them falling. The blow of the drop was an aching pang on the back of her skull and a bruising on her shoulder blades and lower back. She moaned dizzily and her grip loosened. Through squinted eyes, she briefly observed that they were now in the stairways. How far did they fell, it was beyond her mildly dazed comprehension.

This is not my day, Yuki thought tiredly, not my day at all.

* * *

"I'm not interested in becoming a god," said Fourth, "but I don't intend to let murders happen when I can do something about it."

"I don't know what you're trying to say," Ninth spoke amusedly into the megaphone, "but can I make my demands now?" A pause. "Well then, Fourth, I want you to kill First and then kill yourself! I will win the game and become a god!"

Fourth cocked his revolver at Ninth. "I won't let you—"

"Then!" The woman raised her arm in the air, holding a device with a red button—the trigger—high for all to see. "Everyone will die!"

Another pause.

Fourth gave Yuki a happy smile, and Yuki gave him a hopeful look.

Fourth promptly positioned the revolver at her head.

"Sorry, First," he said, not sounding sorry at all. "The situation's changed. If I had to choose, this would be the obvious choice."

It was her or a building full of people. Of course this was the obvious choice. Nevertheless, it was a surprise that she had made it this far, a failure like her… If it weren't for Yuto, she would be a goner long ago. Yet, despite Yuto's efforts, it came down to this. It wasn't so bad, Yuki supposed. She was nothing more than a bystander; she never did anything for herself. This was the best option, to save everyone...

Yuki tried to tell Fourth to make a good use of her death, but she couldn't even form the first word because she was crying (again).

Fourth looked rather uncomfortable.

"Well?" said Ninth impatiently. "What're you waiting for?"

"She's…crying," Fourth said, still looking uncomfortable.

"Don't mind her. First is just a crybaby."

"But… You want me to shoot a crying girl?"

"Do it or everyone will die!"

"But… She's a girl. And she's crying."

"You weren't this reluctant when you aimed the gun at her!"

"That was before she was crying!"

"Yeah, well, a whole ton of girls will be crying at your feet if you don't shoot her right this minute!"

Fourth looked really uncomfortable. "Oh, that would be bad," he muttered to himself.

Suddenly, Yuto crashed down from a window and attacked Ninth. Yuki didn't get shot that day.

* * *

**NOTES:** In the original series, Yukiteru is a crybaby and cowers in battle, usually relying on Yuno to get things done (according to the Future Diary Wiki). He lacks confidence and is submissive to confrontation. He becomes cunning, vicious, and willing to kill when the desire to revive his parents is his drive. Yukiyori is a bigger crybaby and is indecisive; she can be a quick thinker and pensive, but sometimes slow to respond to her thoughts, so her actions may equate to Yukiteru's. Moving along, Ninth, AKA Uryuu Minene, was able to confirm that Yukiteru was the First because he was protective of his phone, especially when it made that distorted sound whenever there was a diary update. Initially, Ninth wasn't sure because she was distracted by Yukiyori's sobs.


	3. Episode 3

**Reversal**

**SUMMARY:** Yukiteru is Yukiyori, and Yuno is Yuto. Snippets of each episode to show how much a gender switch really does make a difference.

* * *

**Chapter 3:** Episode 3

* * *

After being dragged by Yuto from one ride to the next dozen, Yuki was exhausted. She wondered how the boy was able to maintain such vitality when Yuki herself was all worn out. Strangely, her tiredness ebbed away any lingering anxiety she had felt before coming to the amusement park; not only that, but, as she would admit, the good cheer shown in Yuto's grins and enthusiasm was rather uplifting.

All nice feelings came crashing down when Yuto insisted where they should go next.

"Um, I don't think that—"

"Come on, Yuki, it'll be fun!" Yuto wrapped an arm around her shoulders and led (forced) her inside the haunted house.

Side by side, the two braved into the dark and solemn hallways. Yuki knew that this was just simply harmless entertainment, a little test of courage for the excited and interested customers who amused themselves the idea of being spooked. This was definitely nothing compared to what she had faced and will face, burdened with the responsibility of owning a Future Diary. However, Yuki was edgy and gutless by nature—she was already quite tense for what would pop up to catch them off guard. Surely, Yuto knew that and how she severely disliked this, so why did he make her go anyway?

Yuki warily observed off to the side, her eyes drifting form the makeshift tombstones to an eerily glowing goblin-like figurine. She set her anticipation on the ugly monster to lunge at them, so she wasn't expecting something ghostly to drop from the sky and sneer near at their faces.

Yuki screamed and her eyes were screwed shut.

A couple seconds later, her racing heart settled as she inhaled deeply. That was when she felt something pressed between her breasts. Slowly, her eyes traced from the ground to their legs (they were close…) to their hips (too close!) and, finally, to where Yuki had latched onto Yuto's arm tightly to her chest (_way_ too close!)

Flustered, Yuki gasped and jumped a couple steps back. "I-I-I am so—!"

She wasn't able to finish her apology as another ghost appeared behind them.

"_Kyaaa_!"

When they exited the haunted house, Yuto released a joyful laugh. "You scream so cutely, Yuki," he said, grinning from ear to ear. "Kyaaa!"

Yuki scowled at the boy's mimicking, but couldn't stop the reddening of her cheeks. "Don't make fun of me," she grumbled.

"I can't help it! You were so adorable."

She sighed. "It was so crazy in there. Why'd you make me go through that? I've nearly gotten a heart attack."

Yuto tilted his chin downwards so that their eyes met. Yuki immediately wanted to pull her gaze away, feeling self-conscious, but she couldn't, _especially_ when he was smiling at her like that. "Don't fret," he said. His eyes twinkled. "Wherever you are, I'll always be there to protect you."

How hackneyed those words were! Yet so true was the meaning behind them, it seemed. After all, he did rescue her from the third and ninth diary owners; technically, he also stopped Fourth, Kurusu Keigo, from putting a bullet through her head. Her memories took her back to when Yuto crashed from, at least, the second or third level floor and succeeded in temporarily subduing Uryuu Minene. Bewildered how Yuto made his entry into the scene, Yuki ceased her crying. It seemed that he was capable of surprising her in all sorts of ways.

She smiled faintly and squeezed the arm into her chest. Her face dropped.

"Yuki?"

Her blush intensified. "Gah! I'm so sorry! I did it again!" She released Yuto's arm and was about to put some space between them, but, then, Yuto wounded his arm around her waist and brought her close to his chest.

"It's alright," she heard him chortle in her ear. "I don't mind."

He didn't mind? Well, she certainly did!

* * *

It was after a couple more rides that Yuki found herself being dragged into the water park. Again, Yuto was making her do something that she was clearly opposed to do.

She was dressed in nothing but an embarrassing red bikini. Apparently, it was the only matching set suitable for her size as the other swimwear were either too big or too small. Furthermore, Yuki wasn't particularly happy with the looseness of the top; it was hardly her fault that she was flat-chested. How Yuto delved in the satisfaction of feeling her unimpressive knolls was beyond her.

"Yuki!" Yuki cringed at the sound of Yuto's voice and the approaching slaps his bare feet made against the cement. She dove behind an artificial palm tree to avoid being caught, but he saw her anyway.

"Eh? Why are you hiding, Yuki?" Yuto inquired.

"This is silly," she squeaked. "Let's go back!"

"No way! I wanna go swimming with you, Yuki!" He managed to pry her from the tree and bring her into the pool.

"Uwah! The water sure feels great," Yuto sighed contently. He lazily waded across the waters and swam a half-circle around her. "Don't you think so, Yuki?"

"Y-yeah," she muttered noncommittally. The cool temperature was certainly refreshing against the warm, sunny weather outside, but Yuki couldn't bring herself to enjoy it. All she could think about was the absurdity of the situation: she wearing a _bikini_ in a pool with the amiable and good-looking Gasai Yuto. Had someone told her a week ago that this would happen—the roller coasters, the snacks, the haunted house, the water park (especially the water park)—she might have laughed in his or her face because it sounded as though she and Yuto were on a…

Yuki blushed. It was as though she and Yuto were on a _date_. Gosh, regardless how Kurusu informed them that they were to stay at an area where they were to become bait if Ninth ever came around, this day really did turn out to be a date!

She shook her head and inwardly berated herself. No, no, no. Just what was she thinking? This wasn't a date—this was a mission! The things that Yuto had dragged her into doing were just to kill time because it would be boring just sitting around and waiting to see if Ninth would come or not. Besides, would she really want to be dating Yuto of all people? She may have acknowledged that he proved to be a fine protector, but it was clear that he wasn't alright in the head when he casually assured her that he would kill people all for her sake. That, and the text messages. And the stalker diary.

Why me, she wondered. What was it about me that caught his attention?

Wait… Something felt funny…

Looking down, she found that her top was missing.

"Ah!" She hastily wrapped her arms across her chest.

"Yuki?"

Seeing Yuto swim towards her, she could feel her blood racing. "Don't come any closer!" she cried.

He blinked. "What's wrong?"

"I-I-I…!"

There was silence. Suddenly, Yuto dunked his head underwater, stayed there for five seconds, and then resurfaced with a sheepish smile. "Uh, your swimwear came undone, huh?"

Yuki's face flamed, thoroughly scandalized.

"You—!" Yuki was cut off when something bumped against her back. The woman behind her gave a quick apology, but Yuki could hardly hear her over the thundering of her fast-beating heart as she fell into the boy's chest. His arms draped over her shoulders and secured her, causing her to gasp.

She tried to pull back, but Yuto's strong hold kept her at a halt. "Stay," he ordered quietly. Looking up, he called for an assistant and told her about the washed away top, furthering Yuki's humiliation.

"You could have helped me look for it instead of go telling someone," Yuki complained.

"True, but, then, you would be left defenseless, and I couldn't let that happen."

Good intentions, Yuki supposed, but it didn't excuse him for groping her, especially when she was practically naked!

* * *

"Why me?" she asked in the ferris wheel.

Yuto stared at her (contemplatively, worriedly—she didn't know). For what seemed like the longest time, he didn't respond and continued staring at her. She stared back. Finally, he said, "Yuki, why did you object going to the planetarium earlier? I thought you liked stars."

"How did you…?" Yuki trailed off. If Yuto knew that, then just how long was he watching her? Her brows drew in together in thought. The stalking sounded like a probability, but she shouldn't cancel the notion of him using his diary. The idea of Yuto doing such brought unpleasant feelings in her. She felt like calling him out on it, yet what wisdom was it to jump to conclusions?

And, so, Yuki thinned her lips into a white line while looking at Yuto askance. Yuto, who noticed her shift of perspective, appeared saddened. "You told me last year, Yuki," he said. "I don't know what you're thinking, whatever is making you look at me in such a way, but what I'm telling you… It's true."

"What do you mean?"

"Last year… Don't you remember? Our class had to fill out a form about what we wanted to do in our future. We were the only ones who didn't finish, so we were required to stay afterschool." Yuto smiled distantly. "You were sitting a few rows before me. To take my mind off of things, I decided to go up to you."

From here, Yuki remembered everything, the memories flooding back: Yuto asking her what was her dream, she telling him that she wanted to see the stars with her family and that it was impossible since her parents were divorced, Yuto offering to watch the stars with her, Yuki declining because she wanted it to be with family, and then… And then Yuto sighing about her being stubborn… He told her that he would take her as his wife—that way, they would become family and could watch the stars together. Thinking that he was just kidding, Yuki agreed.

He wasn't kidding back then, apparently.

"That's the reason?" Yuki said. What a simple cause. So simple that it must be a joke. "That's it?"

Yuto wordlessly stood up and grasped her shoulders. He leaned down.

"You're still hiding something from me, aren't you?" she heard herself say.

Just like before, their eyes met and the world became still and quiet. Languidly, Yuto pressed his lips onto her forehead and gave her a grin.

"Not telling," he cheekily said.


	4. Episode 4

**Reversal**

**SUMMARY:** Yukiteru is Yukiyori, and Yuno is Yuto. Snippets of each episode to show how much a gender switch really does make a difference.

* * *

**Chapter 4:** Episode 4

* * *

"You can't see your enemies in your Clairvoyance Diary?"

"It has its limitations," answered Tsubaki. "It's not quite omniscient."

Kasugano Tsubaki was a petite girl with hair that cascaded to the floor that she was sitting on. Perhaps she was a young woman, given the air of maturity she had about her. Even though she, the oracle of the cult, was strangely caged behind wooden bars, Yuki couldn't help but feel rather self-conscious when being next to her. Compared to Tsubaki's collectiveness and beauty, Yuki was just a simple kid who dove behind Kurusu in fear the second that it was revealed who the sixth diary owner was.

Yuki was skeptical about Tsubaki's assurances of not wanting to be a god, but, if the oracle was anything like Kurusu, then it might be alright to lower her guard just a bit. She was, nonetheless, wary about the exchange for Ninth for her. Even though she had survived two Dead Ends, how was it that she was expected that she could help Tsubaki escape hers? And did the cult really have Ninth in their dungeon?

She bit back a frown and glanced outside, only to find that Yuto was staring at her. She quickly averted her eyes and felt blood drain from her face. The horror that she witnessed in Yuto's house the night before resurfaced in her mind; the image was heavily imprinted in her memory and she would never be able to forget it. But promising to spend one night here where danger could come out at any corner was just as bad.

"Yukiyori-san." Tsubaki's clear voice interrupted her thoughts, causing the girl to look up. "That boy is no good. Let me make a prophecy for you: he will be the downfall of your future."

The hairs at the back of her neck rose. "Is that written in your diary?"

"You're a girl, aren't you? By a woman's intuition, you can tell that there is something wrong with that boy." The oracle's visible eye coolly observed her before closing. "Surely you've already known that."

* * *

**NOTES:** So, _Anonymous_, who's Tunis? I don't know. Anyway, I'm not switching Yukiteru and Yuno's body types; this is a "what if" fic about Yukiteru being a girl version of himself and Yuno being a boy version of herself. Considering that Yukiteru is depicted as a typical outcast kid (you know, before the whole survival game came into play), I decided to transfer that persona to Yukiyori to maintain canon-realism. I'm not saying that Yukiyori's flat as a board, but I'm sure that the average fourteen-year-old Japanese girl wouldn't have a big bust unless she undergone surgery (like how Hino Hinata had). Moving along: I can't see Yukiyori crying less than Yukiteru. Sorry, _Vergil666_. I just can't factor out any dismaying qualities about her because I want her close to the canon version and yet be original at the same time. I mentioned this in one of my notes that explained about Yukiyori and Yukiteru's differences and similarities. If an explanation is given as to why you guys think it should be one wayor the other, then I'd be grateful!


	5. Episode 5

**Reversal**

**SUMMARY:** Yukiteru is Yukiyori, and Yuno is Yuto. Snippets of each episode to show how much a gender switch really does make a difference.

* * *

**Chapter 5:** Episode 5

* * *

A body was shot through the paneled doors, creating an aperture. Yuto ran up to Yuki with a hurried "Let's go, Yuki!" Once he grabbed her wrist, tugging her into the direction of outside, Yuki turned around and held her hand out to Tsubaki, seizing the chance to assist the sixth diary owner from escaping this hellhole.

"Tsubaki-san!"

Tsubaki's face melted into relief and gratitude. "Thank you, Yukiyori-san," she said as they took off.

The three sprinted down the open-air corridor with Yuto leading the girls. In the best of times, Yuki's phone rang. Using her free hand, she pulled her phone out of her pocket and flipped it open to hold it against her ear.

"_Sorry, it took me forever to fix the sprinklers_," a deep voice crackled in the speaker.

"Kurusu-san!" Yuki cried.

The man must have heard the urgency in her voice because he pressed on seriously. "_What happened?_"

"The followers became hypnotized!"

"_Hypnotized?_"

Immediately, she launched into a brief explanation on what happened. When she finished, Kurusu calmly replied, "_Okay, I see what's going on. I'll call for backup at the station. Keep heading for the front gate and have my men protect you kids_."

Her brows knitted together. "What about you?"

"_I'll find Ninth_."

"I…" The cult members have been turned into murdering zombies and the man still wanted to pursue after Minene Uryuu? Well, the woman was their objective, but wasn't it just suicide to venture any further in the building when things were starting to become more than chaotic? Seeing Yuto unhesitatingly slash down men and women with an axe when they were going to attack them had wholly convinced Yuki of that, after all.

"_Yukiyori_?"

"I got it," Yuki said. Even if what Kurusu was planning on doing was crazy, he was the chief inspector of the police station and a diary owner. She would have to trust that he would be able to make it out alive. "I'll see you soon." With that said, she snapped her phone shut.

For a while, the three had been running and running. They didn't come across any followers yet, which Yuki silently counted themselves as lucky. Perhaps they would come out unharmed, along with Tsubaki who was tagged with a Dead End.

Eventually, they slipped inside the inner hallways. Yuki could feel exhaustion burning in her chest and legs—she was tiring out, and Tsubaki wasn't doing any better, given that she probably had never exerted herself inside her wooden cage. When nearing a corner, Yuto stepped around it and suddenly jerked Yuki forward, resulting with Tsubaki's forehead smacking against the wall as she was forced into the momentum.

"You did that on purpose!" Tsubaki huffed out angrily.

Yuto ignored her and said, "We're almost at the front gate, Yuki."

Yuki noticed that, from what her peripheral vision could offer, the coloring of the boy's ear and cheek indicated that he was taking a bigger toll than what she or Tsubaki were. He didn't look so well. It was from defending her from the hypnotized followers, Yuki realized with widened eyes. And, now, he was pushing himself even further by making sure that they would reach the gates.

"Ah, Y-Yuto—" she began, but was cut off when they encountered more cult members.

Standing by the walls, the people stared at Tsubaki in wonderment, making hushed exclamations of "It's the Sacred Eye!" as they rushed past them.

They weren't…attacking them? They weren't hypnotized?

"What is going on?" she thought aloud.

"The hypnosis is broken," Tsubaki speculated in between pants.

They entered another open-air corridor. There, Yuto pointed out to the front gates that stood before them. It seemed so far and yet so close! "We'll be safe once we reach it," he said.

Yuki felt her lips stretch into a smile in relief. "Right!"

And then she was pulled back.

Tsubaki stopped running. She used her other hand to clasp onto their held hands, and locked eyes with her with resoluteness. "Yukiyori-san," she said, "let's face the enemy here."

She blinked. "What?"

"Now that my followers have recovered, it's our chance to defeat the enemy!"

For once, Yuki was glad of her cowardice because it gave her _common sense_. And what common sense would there be in facing the enemy when they had nothing to defend themselves by? Was Tsubaki implying that they use her followers? As if they would willingly sacrifice their lives to so as such. Furthermore, Yuto was nearly dead on his feet, a fragile oracle knew nothing about combat, and Yuki frequented in the state of sobbing and wishing that she was at home whenever in the face of danger. And she wanted to go home _right now_.

Before Yuki could tell her that the best option would be reaching the gates, Yuto sluggishly ambled his way towards Tsubaki, a drunken smile plastered on his flushed face. It didn't look right when he was still wielding that axe and there was a strange glint in his eyes.

Sensing trouble, Yuki grabbed his arm and held him back. "Wait, Yuto! What is it?"

"It's alright, Yuki. It won't take long."

It didn't take long for the anxiety to set in. "N-no, Yuto—"

Yuto's eyes pierced into Tsubaki's own. "You're trying to deceive Yuki again."

"Don't be ridiculous, simpleton," scoffed Tsubaki as she returned the look with a glower.

The atmosphere turned tense, and Yuki felt as though she was suffocating in it. She dearly hoped that Yuto wasn't planning on doing anything rash when she noticed, from the corner of her eye, that he was tightening his grip on the handle of the axe. She wasn't sure whether to be thankful or not when the phone decided to ring, breaking the silence.

"H-hai?" she answered tentatively.

"_Yukiyori, Twelfth is heading towards your way_."

"T-Twelfth?"

"_He's a blind man, but his hearing is incredibly sensitive_," Kurusu informed succinctly. "_Furthermore, he took Ninth's mini-bomb_."

"Bomb!" she gasped.

"_I'm betting that he'll make use of it_."

As Yuki was registering the information—Twelfth was after them, Twelfth took Ninth's bomb, Twelfth then subdued Ninth (?), Twelfth had something to do with the cult because Ninth is in the dungeon (?)—Yuto interrupted her thoughts when he pointed up while shouting, "Yuki! On the roof!"

Uh oh.

* * *

After the bomb sounded, Yuto collapsed onto his knees and teetered forward. His name burst out from Yuki's lips as she hurried to his side, placing a supporting hand on his shoulder. She grimaced at the worn down look on his face and the way he drew in ragged breaths. He was definitely at his limit, especially after taking down Twelfth.

"I'm impressed, Second," Tsubaki said as she approached the two. "Well done."

Yuki looked up at her, wondering at the canny lilt in her tone, and then noticed that, in the distance, the gates were closing.

"The gate is…" Her forehead creased. What was happening now?

Before she knew it, Yuki was being separated from Yuto by men—to be specific, Tsubaki's followers.

"Yuto!" she cried. A pair had Yuki under their arrest, immobilizing her by her arms, and another pair did the same to Yuto, who was limp in their hold. Yuki snapped her gaze at Tsubaki, and then demanded hysterically, "What are you doing, Tsubaki-san?"

A man standing by her side respectfully handed her a pipe. "Oh, you don't know?" she drawled. She placed the mouthpiece to her lips for a second, and retracted to answer, "You two are going to die tonight."

Yuki paled.

"My plan was to use Ninth as bait to finish off First, Second, and Fourth." Tsubaki scowled. "But then this bastard ruined it!" she snarled, throwing Twelfth's diary to the floor and slamming a foot on it.

"But, Tsubaki-san," Yuki stammered, shaken with fear (of dying? of having been betrayed?), "aren't you an oracle who serves Kami?"

Tsubaki looked away. "I'm no oracle," she said derisively. "There is no such thing as an oracle who has been defiled and ridiculed multiple times, after all." Tsubaki glanced back at Yuki and smirked, nearing her with soft steps. "But you, on the other hand… You, who are so innocent, so childish… You would make a good replacement, I would think." Tsubaki her cheek and stared in cruel amusement at the wet and wide eyes that Yuki was most likely wearing now.

And then she continued, "My followers, rape her like how you had done to me."

Cold wind blew against her neck as the world was turned upside down, and that was when Yuki found herself thrown on her back. Her wrists were pinned above her head, and her thighs were parted by someone's knees, his heavy weight digging into her flesh painfully. Her vision was filled with faces with empty eyes. A hot hand slid its way under her shirt.

She gasped in horror.

"No, no, no," she whispered. "No, no, no!" she screamed.

With all her might, she tried to writhe out of their restraints, but she, a mere fourteen-year-old girl, was powerless under the strength of a dozen men. However, panic had her in its control; she persisted on lashing out, screaming to the point where her throat would become sore.

"Yuki!" she heard Yuto's voice yell, slicing through all the noise and making the world a quiet place. Just like back then in the elevator.

It was raining blood, subsequently.

There was a cry. Whose cry? It sounded like Tsubaki's.

Yuki caught her breath and laid there for a moment, her mind spinning and racing—just like her heartbeats. Minutes passed. Maybe hours? She didn't know. The warm liquid that splattered on her body and face cooled down a while ago, turning dry and sticky, and she forced herself to sit up. Around her were corpses—Yuki averted her gaze, only to have her eyes set on another. Too much death, too much blood, too much terror. Just…too much. How was she keeping up with all this?

She shook her head. "No, don't lose yourself," she said, her hoarse whimper evident. Yuki hugged herself. Her clothes were in tatters.

There was a splash, a tear. She couldn't really discern the noise; it was something that she hadn't heard before and yet something that she definitely had—back in the burnt building. Yuki turned her head to the source of the sound. Yuto was standing before a body garbed in red that was lighter than the color of blood, and he was swinging down the axe into the meat and bones languidly. He was cutting up the already-dead Tsubaki, just like how he had with the hypnotized followers.

Yuki retched out whatever was in her stomach.

Her hands kept her propped up, which was hard since the floor was slick with blood. She closed her eyes, yet all she could see was red. The floor was in red, she was in red, Yuto was in red… Tsubaki was in red, redder than her pretty kimono and ribbon.

Yuki heaved. Her mouth tasted sour.

"Yu-ki." Yuto shuffled towards her. His eyes were dilated, and his face was even more flushed. "I wasn't... I wasn't going to let those men get you, not when I intended on keeping you myself." He smiled. "I killed the bitch, Yuki. I killed the one who led you on."

"Yuto," Yuki whispered.

"Don't worry, I'll…" Yuto wobbled and fell on his knees before her, but managed to grasp her by the neck. His thumb was pressed firmly against her jugular. It felt like a loving caress and a possessive, perhaps murderous, one as well. She was instantly afraid. "I'll protect you, Yuki. I promised you that, you know?"

He gazed at her with such blinded adoration, and it felt as though it was weighing her down. Then, his eyes rolled back and he dropped onto the floor.

* * *

**NOTES:** Yuto has more endurance than Yuto; plus, his ire (coming from watching Yukiyori almost being raped) fueled him. Not only did he take it out on the followers, but Tsubaki too. I think that, as a boy, this would be a portrayal of Yuto's one-tracked focus—his focus being Yukiyori. My guy friends told me that they could blank out and could only think one thing at a time. For me and other girls, our minds are always working and have two or more things going on at the same time. It's why I decided to make Yukiyori pensive. Also, because of Yuto's masculine aspects, you know—testosterone and whatnot all being compiled into an axe-crazy killer, he's a mix of a suave host and an aggressive caveman. Meaning: there are times where he wants to cherish Yukiyori like the princess she is (in his delusional mind) and there are times where he wants to grab her by the hair and drag her into his cave. Now, onto Tsubaki. When Tsubaki met Yukiyori, she was envious of Yukiyori's innocence, something that Tsubaki had lost long ago. So, she wanted to destroy that innocence by having her followers rape poor Yukiyori. Now, not only is Yukiyori still innocent (maybe), but also traumatized. Why? Because she saw Yuto slitting throats and gutting people without remorse, and that he dazedly turned Tsubaki into minced meat. How Yukiteru was able to respond to Yuno's actions as "Oh, she's killing for my sake. She seriously loves me!", I don't know. Yeah, yeah, yeah—fiction and Yukiteru lacks common friggin sense, but still…


	6. Episode 6

**Reversal**

**SUMMARY:** Yukiteru is Yukiyori, and Yuno is Yuto. Snippets of each episode to show how much a gender switch really does make a difference.

* * *

**Chapter 6:** Episode 6

* * *

"Yuki-chan," her mother said, "the window is broken."

It indeed was. There, displayed right before her mother, were the shattered remnants of the window. While the sight did ignite feelings of worry, the amount of damage was minimal. There was a furled patch of duct-tape lying among the glass pieces on the grass, Yuki noticed, and that was when a sense of dread was trickling in.

Her mother appeared nervous. "Oh no, could it be a burglar?"

Immediately, Yuki whipped out her phone and went to her entries, discovering that it was Yuto who did this. She grimaced, wondering what the boy was doing now, especially in her _home_ of all places. She hurried past her mother and entered her house, saying a rushed "Sorry, I did that."

"Eh? Wait—"

"You go prepare dinner, Mom." She kicked off her shoes and raced up the stairs.

"Yuki-chan!"

Honestly, why did Yuto have to come today? Could it be that he knew that her mother was returning after a month's absence from home at work? Well, _of course_ he would know… He had his stalker diary, after all. But, if so, what reason was there to break into her home that was relative to her mother's return?

The first place Yuki could think to search was her bedroom. Grabbing the knob, she pushed open the door and prepared to reproach.

She didn't, however. What stopped her? Seeing Yuto scrub the floorboards. That wasn't all—her room seemed to sparkle and gleam with its new tidy state. Her thrown-over quilts were folded and sat on the new bed sheets that Yuki didn't bother changing last week, books were neatly stacked on the desk, the half-empty jar was now full of darts (and some darts that she had thought were long lost were apparently salvaged), and the layer of dust that had accumulated on every surface was wiped away clean.

As eccentric as Yuto was, Yuki was definitely not expecting a latent knack for housecleaning.

Yuto paused his scrubbing and glanced up. A merry grin spread across his face when his gaze settled on her. "Welcome home, Yuki," he said.

"Don't 'welcome home' me," Yuki snapped. "What on earth are you doing?"

"I wanted your mother to accept our relationship, so I decided to impress her by making the house domestically available." And just how was a broken window "domestically available"?

That was why he was here? He wanted to meet her mother and announce their nonresistant romance? Yuki resisted the urge to burst out into tears or sigh heavily. Good grief, how troublesome! While Yuto's ridiculous motive was certainly a headache of a case, having a _boy_ clean up her bedroom was something that Yuki could never have imagined until now. But, knowing Yuto, it wasn't all too surprising.

"Look… I, um, a-appreciate what you're doing, but you have to go," Yuki said, prickling with onset impatience.

"Eh?" Yuto tilted his head and pouted. "Why is that? Can I at least meet your mother first?"

As if! "No, it'd be best if you go—now. She might suspect that it was you who broke the window," she quickly reasoned.

His upset expression shifted into a carefree smile. "I'm sure that she would understand," he replied airily. "I mean, it's not as though you had given me a spare key yet."

What did he mean by _yet_?

"Hey, Yuki-chan!" echoed her mother's voice from the stairway, causing the girl take a step back and look anxiously at the door. "There's a pot cooking on the stove…"

A pot…? So Yuto not only did some housecleaning, but he made dinner as well? She automatically turned back to Yuto, finding him on his feet while fixing his hair.

"Do l look okay?" he asked.

"Yuki-chan," Yuki heard her mother behind the door, "are you in your room?"

What to do? _What to do_? Her eyes roved across the place, hoping to incite an idea. In a moment's haste, she remembered that her closet was large enough to fit a person, or, in this case, hide a person. Yuki grabbed Yuto's wrist and dragged him over, muttering frantically, "Gotta hide! Gotta hide!" She then pushed him inside and slammed it shut.

A second later, the door opened and her mother entered. The woman blinked and asked, "What are you doing?"

"S-sorry, I forgot about the pot," Yuki responded instead, hoping to shift her mother's attention elsewhere—anywhere from the sight of her leaning against the closet. Yuki forced a sheepish laugh, but the sound came out like hiccups.

Nevertheless, the woman didn't seem to notice. She placed her hands on her hips and gave the girl an admonishing frown. "That's dangerous, you know! Make sure you don't do it again."

"Right. I'll be more careful."

"Anyway, not only did you make food, but you cleaned your room as well? I must say, it's a bit surprising." Her mother walked in to the center of the room, proceeding to look around.

Just how long was she planning on sticking around? "Oh, well, I do it once in awhile."

Suddenly, the paneled frames began to jerk and pry open under her leaned weight. To her horror, Yuto was trying to get out! "Yuki," he said aloud, but was cut off when Yuki reclosed the closet.

"Did I just hear a boy's voice?" Her mother turned around in confusion.

_Crap, crap_! "I-it must be your imagination!" the girl insisted, biting down the panic in her voice.

Things weren't looking good! Once again, Yuto was trying to force his way out, calling out her name. Yuki wondered just how long she would have to keep this up because attempting to keep him confined was incredibly difficult, especially when someone as weak as her was going against someone as strong as him.

As she continued to struggle keeping the frames shut, she didn't notice her mother giving her a look full of suspicion until the woman said, "Yuki-chan."

"Y-yes?"

"Why are you pushing against the closet?"

"Wh-what are you talking about?" Yuki stammered. "I'm just leaning on—!"

Before she could even finish her sentence, Yuto apparently decided that simply _nudging_ against the frames wasn't going to get him out; he was going to have to add a little more strength. The thrust that he gave burst open the closet abruptly, causing Yuki to tumble down to the floor.

"Yuki, I wanna join in the fun too!" he announced.

_How_ to explain this to her mother…

* * *

"Gasai Yuto-kun, is it?" If impossible, her mother beamed even brighter. "My, my! Aren't you a handsome one!" With an elbow propped on the table, the woman leaned close to Yuki and whispered slyly, "You certainly hit the jackpot!"

Yuki blushed furiously. "M-Mom!"

Not only did Yuto manage to impress her mother with his good-looks, but also his cooking ability as well! Yuki was hoping that the boy would step on a landmine since the woman was quite picky about what she ate, but it turned out that she found his meals to be delicious. And to make matters worse, her mother just had to ask (regardless offhandedly or not) if _he would marry Yuki_!

Yuki nearly choked on the soup that she was sipping.

"You would look good in a white tuxedo," her mother contemplated.

"I don't know about myself," Yuto chuckled, bashfully scratching his chin. He then grinned widely and asserted, "But I can imagine Yuki walking down the aisle, looking lovely in a wedding dress."

What was he saying!?

"Hmm, but a traditional dress would be nice as well," he added.

The woman's eyes twinkled in delight. "A temple ceremony! How exciting!" her mother enthused. "I think I have a kimono stored up in the attic for me to wear to attend to that wedding." She faced her daughter and grinned. "Say, Yuki-chan, would do you think?"

What did she think? She was beginning to think that this evening was turning out to be a terrible, terrible day.

And to think that marriage question was the downside of the day, just wait till her mother got out the baby pictures. Ugh.

* * *

"You know, Yuki-chan, you sure are lucky to meet a guy like Yuto-kun! A cutie who can clean and cook along with a wonderful personality." Her mother sighed wistfully, shaking her head with a hand cradled to the side of her face. "If only I was fifteen years younger!"

Wonderful personality? Yuki rubbed her temple, trying to banish the very thought. "That doesn't explain why he has to sleep in my room. Mom, he's a boy! This is rather inappropriate, don't you think?"

"Nonsense!" the woman cheerfully dismissed. She gave one more pat on the prepared futon that was laid out next to Yuki's bed. It felt incredibly invasive, even though Yuto wasn't present in her room at the moment. "If you two are going to get married in the future, you might as well get used to sleeping in the same room. Wouldn't want you chickening out on your wedding night, if you know what I mean."

"Mom!" she cried, scandalized.

"It's rare to have an understanding parent, you know," her mother sang on her way out. Just when Yuki was about to sag in resignation—her mother may always have been strange, but having Yuto share her bedroom was just too much!—her mother popped her head out and quickly added, "No babies before marriage!"

The pillow hit the door before it got the chance to hit the woman's head.

* * *

**NOTES:** I researched Japanese boy names that sounded like Yuno. While finding Yuto's name was simple enough, coming one up for a girl version of Yuki was hard. The name Yukiteru is…unique, I would say. Of course, I had to keep the "Yuki" part; it was the addition that I struggled with. When you break down the name, it would be "Yuki" and "teru." Four syllables, yet separated into two parts. I wanted to name the girl Yuki something like that, but the only name that I could think of was Yukimura, which was rather masculine. I then decided, what the heck, I'll just make up her name. "Yukiyuri" was the first thing that popped in my head, but I thought that it sounded odd, so I replaced the second "u" with an "o," and, thus, Yukiyori was born!

Another note: Girls tend to over-think while boys go with the flow. That's how it is in my past experience. With that said, girls are more self-conscious than boys are on average. Because Yukiyori is what I would hope to be a relatable character, I decided to make her question the interest that Yuto has in her rather than think "Oh, he loves me! Even though he's a downright psychopath, he really does love me!" She acknowledges (not thoroughly, but gets _an idea_ of it) that because he is mentally unhinged and that loving her just because of a halfhearted "promise" that was made back then don't equate to actual love. I'm not trying to make her wise for her age, but I'm trying to incorporate self-consciousness _with_ realization.

As for Yuto, he is just… Well, Yuto is more simple-minded than anyone would think, really. He is driven by the thought of making Yukiyori as his lover because of that promise, and that crush eventually escalated to obsession. I think I wrote something about this—I dunno. His mindset works like this: get the girl, marry the girl, have kids with the girl, and have a happily ever after. And, because he's crazy, he developed an unhealthy possessiveness; although, he's not the kind of possessive guy who would accuse of Yukiyori of cheating on him every time she's out. No, he would probably throw her in a cage and lock her there forever.


End file.
